1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



497 



and in a moment more you say to yourself, 

 '' Why, I do not see any thing'really wrong- 

 about this. I believe (Jod intended tliat we 

 should enjoy tliese gifts, and now who knows 

 but tliat i h'avebeen making a martyr of my- 

 self all my life, and have had hardly any fun 

 at all. just because of these very strict con- 

 scientious scruples?'" In answer to this, 

 conscience tells you that the whole tiling is 

 wrcn:!j ; th.e end can be nothing else than i 

 death and ruin. Perhaps you have got so far | 

 into Satan's toils thsvt you'reply, '• t am only ! 

 going to stop and look on a bit, it is all so 

 wonderful and new." Perhaps you rely on 

 the fact that you have always been straight 

 and upright, and nobody would l)elieve any 

 thing bad about you, even if somebody 

 should tell it. ]My friend, thisvis a part of 

 Satan's machinery ; it is one of his great big 

 levers to getyou out of the path of duty, and 

 to block the way so you can not get back 

 again. Stop right there and say to yourself, 

 '• Am— I — willing— to—be— a— Christian V " 

 As the word '■ Clnistian'" rings out you al- 

 most give a jump, for you know so well that 

 a Christian has no business at all standing 

 on any such ground, even for one second. I 

 hope, my friend, if you have got there you 

 will have grace enough and stiength enough 

 to turn right square back, for (;od sometimes 

 punishes terribly for a little deviation from 

 tiie straight and narrow path— perhaps no 

 greater than the one we have pictured in the 

 above. Lot's wife turned lier head to look 

 at the forbidden city, and she was instantly 

 transformed into a pillar of salt. Uzzah put 

 his hand on the sacred ark. and he fell dead; 

 and men go down to ruin no^vadays for no 

 other olfense than simply trifling with the 

 path of duty ; simply because they were not 

 willing to tiun resolutely about and tlee 

 when temptation lirst presented itself. 



Are you willing to he a Christian ? A 

 great many think, if they do not say, ''Oh, 

 yes ! I am going to be a Christian after 

 a while ; " or, " I expect to become a Chris- 

 tian.'' Satan does not like to have people in 

 a hurry in getting into the right path. lie 

 much prefers to have them wait awhile. He 

 says to them, " Oh ! I don't object to your 

 becoming a Christian, for, of course, it is 

 tlie right and proper thing to do ; " but he 

 always objects to tlieir making the present 

 tense of it. Can any one be aChiistian right 

 oft on the instant V " Yes, sir, I think he can. 

 Ton van be a Christian (luicker than you can 

 climb over the fence, or jump out of the 

 door. Both of these things would take a lit- 

 tle time to accomplish ; but you can decide 

 ^ in your own mind in one second of time, if 



you will. A great many more ])e(»i)le would 

 be willing to hcamw Christians than Would 

 !)e willing to 6f' Christians ; andwliile I think 

 of it, it seems to me the great need of the 

 presejit hour is to 6^, not to bcamir. Some- 

 body has said, that tlie way to do good is to 

 he good. The point is. tluit you are not to 

 wait until you have an opportunity of doing 

 somebody good ; you are to be good right oft. 

 Put away all wrong, impure, or wicked 

 thoughts ; stop tbinking of or looking at or 

 I listening to any thing you know is wrong or 



f hurtful ; do it at once ; act without waiting 



or considering or dallying, just so soon as 



you know the thing is wrong ; and we usu- 

 ally determine very (piickly between right 

 and wrong, if we have been striving for pu- 

 rity of heart and for godliness. 



Whosoever will, let him take tlie water of life 

 frcely.-KEV. •„'•„>: IT. 



We have just one more word left, dear 

 friends: Are you willing to be a Christ inn f 

 Folks used to say inquiringly, "What is it 

 to be a Christian? what is ('hristianity ? '' 

 But they do not very much lately. Pilate 

 asked Jesus, " What "is truth ? " lie did not 

 want to know, and it has always seemed to 

 me he felt ashamed of himself after he asked 

 the question. You, my friend, know what 

 it is to be a Christian. You may criticise 

 this little talk to-day, by saying that I liave 

 presented it all as too easy a matter. You 

 may say that it takes a little time to build up 

 a Christian character. I agree with you ; 

 and many times, perhaps, about all that one 

 accomplishes is to go through life battling 

 with evil. Thanks be to (iod. however, that 

 he, in his intinite mercy, accejits the will for 

 the deed ; and he who "is at all times willing 

 to he a Christian t.s- a Cliristian ; for it is this 

 willingness to eschew evil that builds up a 

 Christian character. One can resolve or de- 

 cide in a second to be a Christian : but the 

 great tug of war comes when you try to live 

 it. Do not be discouraged, dear friends. 

 With every victory comes new strength and 

 grace and power to light the good hght, and 

 to come off victorious. On the contrary, 

 with every slipping back and every failure 

 come increasing hindrances ; therefore be 

 not faint-hearted or weary, but keep on try- 

 ing aiul striving and praying for a constant 

 willingness to do right. Let nothing tempt 

 you, even one hair's breadth, from this pur- 

 pose. ''If God be with us, who shall 1)6 

 against us?" And if this thought is con- 

 stantly in your mind, whether death shall 

 come swift and quick, or slowly by disease, 

 you need never be afraid of meeting the 

 great Judge of all the earth when he shall 

 sit on his throne, and before him shall be 

 gathered all nations. 



Now, friends, we have come around to the 

 consideration of our text again. Is it really 

 true that the human family shall be divided 

 into two great factions ? Is there any thing 

 in this matter of free \\i\\ that sharply and 

 decidedly divides all nations into two class- 

 es ? If in the little tigure I used in the com- 

 mencement of my talk, the different grades 

 are put together in one long row, v.'ith the 

 worst man at one end and the best at the 

 other, would there indeed be a strong and 

 marked difference between the two who 

 stood side by side near the middle? If so, 

 wherein lies this great difference? I think 

 there would be a difference. .Vs I see it, the 

 dilference would be simply this : One ac- 

 cepts Christ, and the other" does not. It is 

 true, there is a large class of people who 

 seemingly do not take sides at all; in fact, 

 they sometimes say they have no interest in 

 the" matter whate'ver. 'Wliat is to be done 

 with these ? ^Viiy. these by their actions, if 

 not words, say, •■ 1 am not willing to be a 

 Christian."' 



He that is not with me is ag-aiiist inc.— Matt. l;i:o(l. 



